Baffle for heat exchangers



Feb. 3, 1931.' A. P. EQNARD 1,191,468

BAFFLE FOR HEAT 'E XGHANGERS Filed Feb. 8. '1928 if* l@ m M NI N IL,

@ Q uji/4% Aremesa ret. e, 1931 lthed STATES PATENT @Frll' ALBERT E. LEONARD, OFy NEX? YORK, N. Y.

BAFFLE EUR HEAT EXCHAN GERS Application led February 8, 1928. Serial No. 252,948."

The present invention relates to heat ex- Figure 1v is a. sectional side elevation of the change apparatus and, more particularly, to heater; juice heaters such as those employed in the Figure 2 a front elevation partly in secsugar industry. rimarily the invention tion; 5 consists in conducting hot vapors through a Figln-e B is a sectional elevation taken ou es heat exchange chamber at a substantially`uni the line 3-3 ot'Figurel; and rorin velocity, the construction of the cliain- Figure l is a detail of the method ot ias bei' being such that the cross-sectional area tuning the battles to the drum sheets. of the passage through which the heating ills illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings, lo medium flows is progressively diminished. therheater comprises a cylindrical drum ln this manner the velocity of the heating `which is supported on suitable legs 10. To medium is maintained at a substantially conthe ends of the drum are secured, in any suitstant value and, not only is a better heat ablemanner, headers 11, 12 for the tubes 13. transfer therefore obtained, 'but the heavier The drum is provided with an'inlet 1st and 15 non-condensible gases are carried along With outlets 15 and 16, the former for condensed o5 the heating vapor to an outlet therefor. The liquids and thelatter for air and gases. lt constant discharge of the non-condensible will be seen that each ot the headers is progases prevents these gases from settling near vided with partitions 17 so arranged that or around the Walls or tubes of the apparatus, the medium to be heated is forced through 20 atv which points the gases Would ordinarily the tubesin a oircuitous course, the medium f tend to insulate the tubes and prevent proper in each horizontal row of tubes owing in heat exchange. The lighter gases are, of a direction opposite that in the tubes ot the course, carried away bythefheating vapor. adjacent horizontal row. To each head-er It has previously been proposed to obtain is hinged a cover18, and secured o the cover a. constant velocity of the heating medium by by bolts or other suitable fastening means progressively and continuously reducing the are gaskets 19. Plates 2O secured to thc diameter of the heating chamber from the covers act as liners to hold the gasket in posiinlet to the outlet thereof. Various arrangction with its respective cover. @ne header, VQments ot baliles have also been suggested, whichy for convenience will hereinafter be but a satisfactory application of these sug-v termed the front header, is provided with SU gSStOIlS JE0 heiltS '0f the IGUH tub@ typ@ an inlet 21 and an outlet 2:2, between which having a uniform drum diameter has not are the partitions 17 cooperating with the heretofore 4been made. The present invencor-er 18 to form a number of chambers which tion aims to provide in a heater O the tubllron'ununioate With similar chambers in the lar type a'novel arrangement of baiiies Whereopposite or rear header. The partitions in de by a Constant VGlCCty Of the heating medium, the liront header are arranged in staggered conducted through the heatingchamber in a horizontal relation with those in the rear (llSCl-lOIl plolll 130 the 11bGS,1S maintained. headgl, s() that nlatgfal entgying the lt further provides an arrangement of pas.- 21 iloWs in alternate directions through ad- 40 sagesV for the heating vapors whereby the jacent horizontal rows of tubes before 'boing im length of the apparatus is materially reduced digghmged through Outlet 22, and there is relative heat exchange between Th@ drum is divided ,horizont-,ally 1w ma)- said passages so that there is a greater availvide two oppositely directed passages 223i 2o able temperature Clerelce between the for the steam or other heating medium. heating medium and the. material heated rlhe steam inlet and outlets are loeaated at the it thereby. The invention Will be more clearly [frontend ofthe drum so that the steam understood from the following description flows from one end of the drum over the upot a preferred form of heater, taken in con` per rows'orn tubes to the rear end of the drum nection lwith the accompanying drawings, in and is then returned over the lower rows of Which: tubes.l Division of theV drum is obtained by '39 a number of ballles 24:, 2li and 24 disposed within the drum in stepped relation, the battle at the rear end of the drum being disposed in a substantially medial plane and the other battles successively lowered toward the front end of the drum. The rearmost bale is spaced from the rear header to provide communication between the upper and lower passages 23, 23. In this manner the passage for the steam is successively reduced in cross-section -from the inlet to the outlet, the decrease in `volume due to condensation being counteract-ed by the reduced cross-sectional area of the passage, thus maintaining a substantially unilform velocity of the steam.

'l'he `manner lin which the baffles are secured to the drum sheets provides a. lleXible connection between the battles and the drum, and climi naties distortion and buckling ot the baille;` 1nd drum. Each of the battles has side Allanges 25 which are -bent to form a curve .having a relatively large radius. The edges ot' the Vflanges are welded to the drum sheet, as shown at 26, to permit relative play between the bailles and the drum sheets, the curved portions of the flanges 25 acting as expansion joints. At one end of each baille is a depending flange 27 which acts as a curtain l'or the heating medium and condensed liquids; each of these depending flanges is spaced a slight amount from the adjacent and next lower baille to permit condensates or non-condensible gases, such as air, to flow into the passage 23 and to the bottom of the heater; but the gap between these flanges and the adjacent bailles is so small. that there is little or no etl'ect on the. pressure olf the steam in the upper passage Directly under the steam inlet is an additional battle 29 lor detlccting the incoming steam toward the `trout header.

As shown in Figure l, perforated tube supporting plates are secured to the drum at suitable intermediate points between the ends of the drum, and at another intermediate point an expansion joint 30 is provided. If desired, safety valve and air vent flanges 3l and 3Q are secured to the drum, and suitable condensate gauges may also be attached to the drum and header as indicated by flanges 34 and From the above description it will be secu that cane juices, or other material to be heated, are introduced into the front header and il'orced through the tubes circuitously, as explained above. The steam enters one end oi the drum above the lowerniost baille, the cross-sectional area of the upper `passage being greatest at this point; as the steam enters the drum it is direct-ed against vthe `front header by the baille 29. It then exrpands and flows thronghthe upper passage, the succeeding balllesprogressively reducing the cross-sectional area o-the passage, and, due tothe arrangement ot-tli'e"batlles,'tlie cross-sectional area of the lower passage is also progressively reduced.

At each stepping up of the balliles a gap is left at the end of the lower baille. The condensate resulting from the condensation of the heating vapors on the tubes fall to the baille plate and the gap permits the condensate to flow to the bottom ot' the shell from whence it is removed. Heavy non-condensible gases such as air also flow downwardly through-these gaps, thus preventing stratification oi such gases above the upper side of the horizontal battles and blanketing of the heating surface by these gases. It is desirable that the outlet for the gases be at a rcduced pressure and for this purpose the outlet lnmaybe connected to a vacuum chamber or suction pump, Athus insuring properdischarge `of these. gases.

-While the apparatus described above is reierredto asa juice heater,it is obvious that the construction is applicable to otherheat exchange apparatus, .and it is therefore not intended to limit the invention to heaters employed for the specific purpose routlined above. Y V

lVhat I claim is:

1. 'A heat exchange apparatus of the class described comprising a heating chamber and a pluralityof partitionmembers within said j chamber arranged in stepped longitudinal relation to 1progressively diminish the crosssectional area of said heatingchamber.

2. A heat exchange apparatusv ofthe class described comprising a heating chamber, and a V.plurality of partition members within said chamber tor dividin said chamber into communicating adjacent passages, said members being arranged in stepped longitudinal relation lto progressively diminish 'thecrossfsectional. area off said passages;

3. A heat exchange apparatus of the class described comprising a heating chamber, a header secured to each end of said chamber, a plurality of tubes within said chamber and communicating with said headers, Vand a plurality of partition members for dividing said chamber .into communicating' adjacent passages, said members being arranged parallel to said tubes in stepped.longitudinal relation to iirogressivelydiminish the cross-sectional y arca `ofsaid passages.

A. heat exchange `apparatus of the class described,comprising in combination a hea-ting chamber and a j'ilurality oi' partition j,

members within said chamber for dividing said chamber into adjacent passages, .said members being arranged in stepped longitudinal relation to progressively diminish the cross-sectional area otsaid passages, one ot saidniembers being spaced fromY the end et' the chamber adjacentsaid uppermost member `to provide communication-between sad-.paSSllgQSf i 5i. A heat' exchange apparatus of ythe class described comprising a heating chamber, and a plurality of adjacent partition members arranged in stepped longitudinal relation t0 progressively diminish the cross-sectional area of said chamber, one end of each of said members having a depending flange, said flange being spaced from the adjacent partition member.

6e ln a tubular heat exchanger, a baiiie positioned to progressively diminish longitudinally the cross-sectional area of flow through said heat exchanger.

7. In a tubular heat exchanger, a longitudinal battle positioned to progressively diminish longitudinally the cross-sectional area of flow through said heat exchanger, an inlet positioned at the point of the maximum crosssectional area and an outlet at the point of the minimum cross-sectional area.

in testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specication.

ALBERT P. LEONARD. 

